Pirates in baseball: Jeff Hoffman racks up save No. 20 as Blue Jays win, tie with Yankees in AL East

by | Jul 3, 2025

It was a familiar sight for Jeff Hoffman and the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.

The East Carolina baseball alum got his 20th save of the season as the Blue Jays beat the Yankees again, 11-9. Hoffman struck out the first batter in the ninth then coaxed a pop out before Trent Grisham singled and Ben Rice popped out to end it.

Hoffman struck out the first two batters in his relief outing on Tuesday, gave up a single then got the final out for his 19th save of the season.

The Blue Jays improved to 48-38 and are tied with the Yankees for first place in the AL East.

Connor Norby and Clayton McCullough

The Miami Marlins’ win streak ended at eight with a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Connor Norby went 2-for-4 but didn’t factor in the scoring. He singled in the seventh and ninth innings. McCullough’s Marlins dropped to 38-46 with the loss.

See below to find out what the rest of the Pirates in baseball did on Wednesday.

Major League Baseball

  • Connor Norby, Miami Marlins: See above
  • Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals: 1-for-2 with two walks in 5-0 loss to Pirates
  • Shawn Armstrong, Texas Rangers: Did not pitch in 6-0 win over Orioles
  • Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians: Did not pitch in 5-4 loss to Cubs
  • Jeff Hoffman, Toronto Blue Jays: See above
  • Clayton McCullough, Miami Marlins (manager): See above

Triple-A

  • Carson Whisenhunt, Sacramento RiverCats (Giants): Did not pitch in 3-1 win over Reno
  • Zach Agnos, Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies): Did not pitch in 18-5 win over El Paso

Double-A

  • Trey Yesavage, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays): Did not pitch in 4-1 win over Portland
  • Carter Spivey, Akron Rubber Ducks (Guardians): On 7-day injured list with right shoulder strain (began June 12)
  • Trey Benton, Akron Rubber Ducks (Guardians): On season-ending disabled list

Single-A

  • Carter Cunningham, Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays): 0-for-4 with a run scored in 7-4 win over Everett
  • Josh Moylan, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees): Did not play in the first game of a doubleheader, 5-3 over Brooklyn. Was 1-for-2 with RBI in 2-0 victory in second game.
  • Josh Grosz, Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees): Did not pitch in either game of a doubleheader with Brooklyn
  • Tyler Bradt, Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals): Did not pitch in 21-2 win over South Bend
  • Jacob-Jenkins-Cowart, Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins): 1-for-3 with walk in 4-1 win over Wisconsin
  • Ryan McCrystal, Daytona Tortugas (Reds): 2-for-5 with a run and three RBIs in 7-6 win over St. Lucie. He singled in two runs in the fourth and later scored. He singled in a run in the sixth and reached on an error in the eighth.
  • Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, Modesto Nuts (Mariners): Placed on full-season disabled list on April 15.
  • Erik Ritchie, Clearwater Threshers (Phillies): Pitched in 13-7 loss to Tampa. Pitched 2.2 innings and gave up two runs on a hit, two walks and three strikeouts.
  • Landon Ginn, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs): Did not pitch in 10-0 win over Charleston

Frontier League

  • Danny Beal, Down East Bird Dawgs (Independent): Wednesday’s game not completed due to rain. Will be part of Thursday doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.

Photo credit: Jeff Hoffman (Toronto Blue Jays photo)

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